How football scores with MPs

MPS have revealed their passion for football - on and off the pitch - in the latest record of their financial interests. They are obliged to declare what they earn, on top of their salaries and expenses of well over £100,000 a year, in case there are suggestions it could influence their decisions.

FILM FAN: Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly was given free tickets to a Harry Potter premiere

Share

Get daily updates directly to your inbox

Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email

MPS have revealed their passion for football - on and off the pitch - in the latest record of their financial interests.

They are obliged to declare what they earn, on top of their salaries and expenses of well over £100,000 a year, in case there are suggestions it could influence their decisions.

And MPs from Greater Manchester have given details of their interests in the beautiful game.

Some local MPs play football. John Leech (Withington) declares that last year he went to Germany as a member of the UK Parliamentary football club to play matches for charity.

He says he got coach trips and hospitality from McDonalds and the National Grid, however, he says he paid for flights and accommodation.

Ian Stewart (Eccles) also went on that trip as a member of the team and says that match, ticket, hospitality and coach transport were also provided by the two firms.

Other MPs are just fans. Tony Lloyd (Manchester Central) admits he gets occasional hospitality and tickets from Manchester United.

And the Tory leader David Cameron preferred the more discreet surroundings of a private party admitting: "My wife and I attended a World Cup party given by Victoria and David Beckham for charity. We were the guests of Rebekah Wade, the editor of the Sun."

And last year he also records a return flight to Germany for a World Cup match, provided by a London businessman.

Other local MPs offer glimpses of their private interests. Ruth Kelly, MP for Bolton West and the former education secretary, says she was given complimentary tickets for the world premiere of a Harry Potter film. The Oldham MP Michael Meacher continues to have an interest in property, recording that he owns four residential properties in London which provide him with income, and a property in the Cotswolds.

Successful

And two MPs admit that they went to a party given by the former Granada chief Charles Allen, who was celebrating his 50th birthday.

Mr Allen is linked to a number of top jobs, including one overseeing the 2012 Olympic Games in London, following his role as chairman of the highly successful Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002.

Labour Party chairman Hazel Blears, MP for Salford who is bidding to be Deputy Prime Minister, reveals that she received hospitality from Mr Allen on his 50th birthday.

Ian McCartney, the MP for Makerfield, a former Labour chairman, also went to the party and records it in the register.

A number of MPs turned out to be globetrotters including Janet Anderson (Rossendale and Darwen) who says she went on a private visit to New York last year and was given an upgrade by Virgin Atlantic. She also went to Taiwan on a Parliamentary trip, to Bahrain and also received two tickets for the MTV European music awards in Copenhagen, flights and accommodation provided by the hosts.

Graham Brady, the Tory MP for Altrincham and Sale West went to Berlin last year and also joined an all party parliamentary group to visit Gibraltar, a trip paid for by the government of the island.

David Chaytor (Bury North) registers an interest in a house in Bury and a flat in London, Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) says he is simply a member of the Tameside council.

Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton south east) has just a brief entry declaring that he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry - unpaid.

Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester Gorton) says he gets up to £5,000 fees from the Telegraph newspapers and went to Karachi to deliver a speech, and his travel was paid.

George Osborne (Tatton), who is the Shadow Chancellor, admits some income from speeches and also visits to Washington, Canada, India and says he is the beneficiary of a family trust which holds more than 15 per cent of the share capital of Osborne and Little, an upmarket wallpaper company.

The Rochdale Liberal Democrat MP Paul Rowen says he is director of a company investing in property in Uganda, and is still a councillor on Rochdale local authority.

Neil Turner (Wigan) says he has an office provided by Wigan council and also went to Beijing as part of a trade delegation, his costs paid by Wigan council.

Tory MP Sir Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield), says he is a director of a marketing consultancy and last September went to Taiwan as co-chairman of the all party parliamentary Taiwan group, with all travel and accommodation paid by the Taiwan government.